Hair curling roller

ABSTRACT

An elongated hair curling roller comprising on its outer surface a myriad of upstanding short non-hygroscopic filaments or fibers capable of retaining moisture by capillary attraction.

United States Patent Weldon, deceased et al.

HAIR CURLING ROLLER Inventors: Weldon K. Weldon, deceased, late of Jacksonville, Fla.; Hazel W. Weldon, executrix, Jacksonville, Fla.

Hazel W. Weldon, executrix, Jacksonville, Fla.

Filed: Aug. 11, 197] App]. No.: 170,746

Assignee:

US. Cl. 132/39 Int. Cl A45d 2/00 Field 0! Search l32/39, 40, 4i, 42, 33;

[ June 10, 1975 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,789,075 4/1957 Stahl I54/83 3,267,942 8/1966 Mestral 132/40 Primary Examiner-G. E. McNeil] Attorney, Agent, or FirmGeorge H. Baldwin; Arthur G. Yeager [5 7] ABSTRACT An elongated hair curling roller comprising on its outer surface a myriad of upstanding short nonhygroscopic filaments or fibers capable of retaining moisture by capillary attraction.

4 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJUH 1 0 ms 1 5 FIG. 4

25000 a 6'. Pawer Supp/y INVENTOR M1070 A:

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ATTORNEY HAIR CURLING ROLLER The invention relates to hair curling devices which are typically of generally elongated cylindrical shape on which hair may be rolled for setting or curling hair. and which. according to the invention, are provided on the outer surface with a myriad of short filaments or fbers capable of frictionally retaining the hair against slipping around the roller, and further providing a soft or yielding surface which minimizes breakage or other damage to the hair wrapped thereon. The filaments further provide a means of retaining water or lotions by capillary attraction though the filaments are preferably of nylon or like non-hygroscopic material.

A general object of the invention is to provide an improved hair curling roller. It is a further object of the invention to provide a roller which may be moistened with water or lotion or the like, which will dry rapidly, on which hair will not slip. and which provides a soft or slightly yielding surface portion to minimize damage to the hair wrapped thereon. Other objects. features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawing wherein:

FIG. I is an isometric view of a roller according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2 2 of FIG. 1',

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a roller body and apparatus in use in a first step in the process of applying the filaments to the surface of the roller body;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a roller and apparatus in use in the second step in the process; and

FIG. 5 is a schematic view representative of the final step in the process.

As seen in FIGS. I and 2, the roller I comprises a body 2, illustrated as being of hollow cylindrical configuration, the outer surface 3 of which carries attached thereto by a film of glue (not shown) a myriad of short nylon filaments 4, at least most of the filaments, and preferably substantially all of them. being disposed in a generally upstanding position, that is, each filament has one end secured by the glue to the surface 3 and the filament extends generally perpendicularly from said surface and radially outwardly therefrom terminating in a free outer end. The filaments are preferably colored, and, for different sizes or types of rollers, different colors may be used.

The filaments are preferably each approximately 0.05 inches long of 6 denier nylon. although good results are obtained with filaments as short as about 0.04 inches and as thin as 4 denier and as long as approximately 0.1 inches and as thick as 19 denier. It is preferred that the denier be greater for greater lengths. Thus. if the length is 0.06 or 0.08 inches, the filaments may be of 9 to 12 denier. It is not necessary that all of the filaments on one roller be of the same length or of the same denier. and commercially available filaments will usually vary somewhat in length from an average length of 0.05 inches. for example. It has been found desirable in some instances, furthermore. to provide what may be termed a brush" roller wherein a mixture of less than 50 percent of filaments of up to about 0.1 inches length and up to about 20 denier and more than 50 percent of filaments of less than about 0.06 inches and less than about 8 denier may be employed. For example. a desirable brush roller may comprise from to 25 percent of I) denier filaments 0.1 inches long with the remaining 90 to percent being filaments of 6 denier, 0.05 inches long.

The myriad filaments on the roller are closely adjacent each other, and there are of the order of tens of thousands of filaments per square inch of surface 3. If 6 denier nylon filaments are employed, for example, of 0.05 inches in length, approximately 0.001 to 0.002 ounces of filaments may be provided per square inch of surface 3.

In manufacturing the curler according to the invention, the body 2, which may be of nylon or other synthetic plastic, or aluminum, or other suitable material, is temporarily connected to a support in the form of handle 5, as seen in FIG. 3, which rotatively supports the body. A tray 6 is provided with liquid or unset glue 7, and the roller body 2 is rolled across the tray to pick up a thin layer of glue on its surface.

The hollow roller body 2 with its outer surface now glue covered is slid onto a conductive rod 8 having an insulating handle 9 at one end thereof. as shown in FIG. 4. The rod is now placed. as shown in broken lines at 8, on two horizontal supporting bars 10 and II of an electrostatic filament applying apparatus 12. The apparatus comprises a shallow conductive tray I3 containing a supply of loose filaments l4 spread evenly across the tray surface. The tray is electrically connected to the positive terminal 15 of a high voltage DC. power supply 16. Bar 10 of the apparatus is conductive and is connected to the negative terminal 17 of the power supply. While table 18, which supports the bars and the tray I3, is preferably non-conductive, it may be desirable to mount bar I0 on insulators I9 as shown. Bar 11 is of insulating material and serves with bar 10 to maintain rod 8' level and at a proper height.

The rod as shown at 8 is rolled by means of its handle along the bars 10 and 11 thereby rotating the hair roller as it passes along the tray. Filaments jump from the tray toward the bar 8' impelled by the high voltage and those which meet the roller surface are adhered, primarily at one end of each filament. in the glue coating. The height of the roller above the mass of filaments in the tray may be about /2 to 1 inch.

When the roller surface has been completely covered with filaments, the rod 8 is raised and the roller is shaken lightly to shake off unadhered filaments.

Depending upon the characteristics of the glue, the covered roller may now be air dried, or it may be placed for a few minutes in a heated oven 20 as shown in FIG. 5, until the glue has set or hardened. A heating element as shown at 21 may be provided to heat the oven. The completed rollers are finally removed from the oven.

The glue to be used is preferably a synthetic resin glue which is resistant to water, to setting and cold wave lotions and to other hair treating or setting materials. Good results are obtained with epoxy glues although the setting time and cost thereof indicate that a high-solids self-crosslinking acrylic emulsion glue is preferable, such as that identified in the trade as Rhoplex E-358. sold by Rohm and Haas Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When provided with suitable catalysts, such glue will set in an oven maintained at about 250F. for 3 minutes and thereafter at about 350F. for a further 3 minutes. Depending upon the time required for deposition of the filaments (FIG. 4). the size of the filaments. the number of filaments per square inch, humidity, and the voltage and spacing of roller and rod from the mass of filaments in the apparatus of FIG. 4, and other parameters, the glue may perform more satisfactorily if thickened by the addition of acrylic thickening materials as is known in the art. While best results are obtained with filaments of nylon, the filaments may be of other non-hygroscopic materials having a flexural strength of the order of I0,000 to l5,000 psi, which is the characteristic flexural strength of nylon. The high voltage deposition of the filaments as described herein requires that they be of electrically insulating material.

The term non-hygroscopic is used herein to mean that, in 24 hours, in an atmosphere of percent humidity, the material will absorb less weight of water than percent of the weight of the material.

While the roller body shown in the drawings is in the shape of a hollow cylinder having an unbroken outer surface 3 completely covered with nylon filaments, it will be apparent that other roller body shapes may be employed, that there may be openings in the roller body such, for example, as to provide a ribbed body, and that, by applying the glue to less than all of the outer surface of the roller body, areas of the outer sur face may be left free of filaments.

While the invention has been described with respect to certain specific embodiments, it will be appreciated that many modifications and changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is intended, therefore, by the appended claims to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed as new and what it is desired to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

I. An elongated hair curling roller including a body having a myriad of short, straight filaments of synthetic plastic material adhered to the outer surface of said body, at least most of said filaments being oriented to have their inner ends connected to said surface of said body and to extend in a direction generally normal to said surface and outwardly therefrom and having free outer ends, said filaments being of between about 4 and 20 denier, having lengths of between about 0.04 and 0.1 inches and being arranged in a concentration in the order of tens of thousands of said short filaments per square inch of said surface.

2. A hair curling roller according to claim 1 wherein said synthetic plastic material is electrically nonconductive and wherein said filaments are electrostati cally deposited onto and adhered by an adhesive layer to the outer surface of said body.

3. A hair curling roller according to claim I wherein said synthetic plastic material is non-hygroscopic and has capillary attraction for water and wherein said filaments are adhered by a waterproof adhesive layer to the outer surface of said body.

4. A hair curling roller according to claim 1 wherein said synthetic plastic material is electrically nonconductive, non-hygroscopic, and has capillary attraction for water, and wherein said filaments are electrostatically deposited onto and adhered by an adhesive layer to the outer surface of said body. 

1. An elongated hair curling roller including a body having a myriad of short, straight filaments of synthetic plastic material adhered to the outer surface of said body, at least most of said filaments being oriented to have their inner ends connected to said surface of said body and to extend in a direction generally normal to said surface and outwardly therefrom and having free outer ends, said filaments being of between about 4 and 20 denier, having lengths of between about 0.04 and 0.1 inches and being arranged in a concentration in the order of tens of thousands of said short filaments per square inch of said surface.
 2. A hair curling roller according to claim 1 wherein said synthetic plastic material is electrically non-conductive and wherein said filaments are electrostatically deposited onto and adhered by an adhesive layer to the outer surface of said body.
 3. A hair curling roller according to claim 1 wherein said synthetic plastic material is non-hygroscopic and has capillary attraction for water and wherein said filaments are adhered by a waterproof adhesive layer to the outer surface of said body.
 4. A hair curling roller according to claim 1 wherein said synthetic plastic material is electrically non-conductive, non-hygroscopic, and has capillary attraction for water, and wherein said filaments are electrostatically deposited onto and adhered by an adhesive layer to the outer surface of said body. 